In Treatment
by toomanycats
Summary: 'The doctor will see you now.' Oneshot/missing scene for Physics. Brenda/Sharon UST.


It's been a while since I've written anything fic-related, so apologies if this is a little on the clunky side. This oneshot/missing scene takes place in Chapter 7 of _Physics, _right before 'the incident'. Not that I expect anyone to remember (I had to check myself!) but there's a six week gap there, so this fits into that part of the timeline. But all you probably need to know is that Brenda and Sharon are friends at this point. Friends with enough sexual frisson to take out an elephant.

Also this is fairly shamelessly inspired by the opening to 2x02 of _Rizzoli & Isles._ Blame TNT for knowing… television. Ahem.

* * *

There were, Sharon conceded, flexing and stretching her toes in the mud, worse ways to spend a Saturday. For example she'd spent last weekend with her daughter, doing a terrible job of pretending not to be completely enamored with her 'fresh out of the easy-bake' granddaughter. Good thing she'd never had to -

Brenda sighed dramatically.

Sharon peeled a slice of cucumber off one eye to observe the blonde beside her. With a towel wrapped around her head and some god-awful hot pink facial mask slathered on, it wasn't exactly her best look. Then again, she probably wasn't winning any beauty contests herself.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

Sharon replaced the cucumber and settled back into the tub. It felt marvelous, positively luxurious. The mud tightening her pores and –

Brenda sighed.

_Again. _

"What?"

"Nothin'."

"It's clearly not nothing, otherwise you wouldn't be heaving and sighing like the heroine of a dime store romance. Spit it or quit it, Chief."

When she didn't immediately respond, Sharon closed her eyes and sank a little deeper into the mud. It took all of ten seconds for her brain to catch up to her mouth. Spit it or quit it? What the hell was in that herbal tea? She wondered if Brenda was thinking the same thing. That was until –

"It's just…well aren't you bored?"

"No."

"Not even a little?" Sharon heard the telltale squidging as the Chief fought against the clay. "It's so quiet."

Sharon scowled, knowing Brenda would be pouting even if she didn't witness the act.

"This is supposed to be relaxing."

"Do you feel relaxed?"

"Not right now," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Come on Sharon," her companion whined, "talk to me."

"I am talking to you."

"You know what I mean," she huffed, drumming her fingers impatiently on the wooden rim of the tub. Barely resisting the urge to leap over and drown the woman, Sharon reluctantly removed the slices of fruit from her eyelids and tossed them onto the side table. Wasn't like they were doing much for her crows' feet anyway.

"Fine, you win. Talk away, Chatty Kathy."

Without her glasses it was hard to make out much more than a flamingo pink blur, but judging by the delayed response she imagined Brenda was probably chewing the inside of her bottom lip, giving the statement far more consideration than it really deserved.

"Seen any good movies lately?"

"Have _you_?"

Brenda harrumphed and drew her arms back inside the tub. Nobody would ever accuse the Chief of being a riveting conversationalist, but this was pathetic even by her dubious standards. And judging by her lack of repartee, the younger woman was fully aware of her sesquipedalian shortcomings.

"Never mind."

_SQUELCH_

* * *

_Earlier_

Brenda tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in the queue. The gas station was one of those monolithic monstrosities (honestly, who needed a Wendy's _and _a McDonalds?) and not a place she'd ever imagine Sharon setting foot inside without a warrant or her favourite roll of red tape. Still, they'd been travelling for about an hour, and while she was fairly certain they could have driven straight through to Big Bear, she didn't begrudge Sharon the break. Of course if she'd just let her do her share of the driving –

"Next."

The service attendant did a double take when Brenda dropped the family size bag of Kit Kats on the counter. "And two coffees."

She was severely lacking in both sugar and caffeine, thanks in no small part to the fact that Sharon was punctual to a fault. Which was even more ridiculous considering the amount of convincing it had taken to get her along on this little road-trip in the first place.

~/~

"_You want me to __what__?" _

_Brenda grimaced and instinctively pulled the phone away from her ear. It was never a good sign when Sharon starting pronouncing silent 'h's'. _

"_Come to Big Bear Lake this weekend." _

"_Because you need help hiding a body?" _

"_No." Although if anybody knew how to get away with – "It's a long story but I have these passes for a day-spa, and they're only for this weekend, and they're non refundable, and…" _

"_And what, Brenda Leigh?" Brenda squirmed at the uncharacteristic use of her given name. "Figured I was the only person you knew who wouldn't have anything better to do on such short notice?" _

_At which point Brenda nearly threw the receiver. Under normal circumstances she would have had a little more tolerance for Sharon's 'poor me' routine – well not much, but some – but after an excruciating hour-long conversation with her mama, during which she'd discussed (at length) the reasons why it was inappropriate to gift her a romantic getaway for two when she knew full well there was a snowball's chance in hell of her ever getting back together with Fritzy, whatever scant patience she was normally blessed with had well and truly dried up. _

"_You know what? Forget it. You try and do something nice for someone and what do you –" _

"_No, wait." There was a long drawn out silence and Brenda had to check if she hadn't somehow accidentally disconnected the call. "All right."_

"_Really?" _

_She hadn't actually expected Sharon to say yes. Had she? Fact was she didn't know what she'd expected, but she was pretty certain it involved that damnable smirk. _

"_I mean I know it's short notice and you'll probably have to take at least a day off work and –" _

"_Chief, do you want me to come or not?" _

_No. Absolutely not. What on earth had she been thinking? _

"'_Course," she said, weakly. "I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were getting yourself into." _

"_I'm beginning to get some idea. What time do you want to leave on Saturday?" _

"_Oh I don't know, some time around – " _

"_I'll pick you up at eight. Be ready." _

_At which point she promptly hung up. _

_Brenda stared at the receiver. Oh, that woman!_

_~/~  
_

Sharon was waiting in the car when she returned, arms laden with supplies. She accepted one of the Styrofoam cups wordlessly, removing the lid to inspect its contents.

"Milk, no sugar," Brenda said before taking a sip of her own. She swore under her breath when she burnt her tongue. Sharon blinked slowly, staring at the greyish brown liquid in bewilderment. "They didn't have skim so I asked for one percent. I hope that's okay."

"I – yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Brenda felt a flush of pleasure steal across her cheeks. Oh for heaven's sakes, it was just coffee. "Sure you don't want me to drive?"

"Not if you want to make it there in one piece." Brenda wasn't sure if that was a comment on what might happen if she managed to get them lost again, or her driving in general, but either way it sounded like the beginning of an argument she really didn't feel like getting into.

Sharon pulled sharply out onto the I-15, the wind whipping her hair through the open window.

"Do you mind if…?" Brenda gestured to the cd player. At least if there was music she might be less inclined to fill the silence with the inane and awkward chatter she knew they both despised. Sharon huffed but hit a button. The radio sprang to life, the not-so-dulcet sounds of Neil Diamond filling the cabin. The tightness at the corner of Sharon's mouth dared her to reach for the dial. Brenda slumped back into the passenger seat. At least it wasn't Perry Como.

* * *

"When was the last time you even went to the movies?" Sharon heard herself ask. Apparently there was some small part of her (presumably the same part that had agreed to this ridiculous venture in the first place) that took pity on the blonde.

"I'm not sure."

Not that she could recall the last time she'd been to see a film either. It must have been with Gavin (she had vague memories of drinking their way through some trite piece of fluff starring that flake from _Grey's Anatomy_) but he'd been in DC since – well it was months before she'd gone on leave, which meant – she started doing the mental calculations. God, was that really a year ago?

"Last Friday night."

Sharon's eyebrows shot up in surprise. (An impressive feat when you considered the pore-refining mask they had to fight against.)

"Hot date?" she drawled, reaching for her glass of ice water. Brenda didn't answer. Well. "Anyone I know?"

The blonde laughed nervously.

"Chief?"

"It's Doctor Kendall. I went out with Doctor Kendall."

"Your _therapist_?"

"Technically he's the department's therapist; he was just making sure I was settling in back to work."

"And dinner and a movie, it would seem." Sharon felt the familiar ire begin to rise. "Well. No doubt he appreciated the opportunity to get a more _hands-on_ perspective."

Even behind the facial mask, she could see Brenda blushing to the roots of her hair.

"See? This is exactly why I wasn't going to tell you."

"Because you knew it was grossly unprofessional?"

"No, because…" She wriggled in the tub. "Because I knew you'd be like this."

"Like what?"

"All… judgy."

"Excuse me?"

_Judgy?_ What was she, twelve?

"Well it's true, isn't it?"

"Please." Like it mattered what she thought. "I'm not doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Having this argument with you. You're a grown woman, Brenda Leigh: you can date whoever you want."

Not that she should have been surprised, David Kendall was exactly Brenda's type; intelligent, charming. Not to mention the fact that he looked like he walked out of a damn Gap catalogue.

"Whomever," Brenda corrected under her breath. She was rewarded with a truly spectacular scowl – at least it would have been, if not for the facial handicap. How much longer till she could wash this crap off?

"If you want to fool around with the person who quite literally has the power to determine whether or not you have a job to go to? By all means, go for it."

"Fine."

"Fine."

* * *

_Warm. _

To her groggy, sleep-addled mind it was more a state of grace than an actual sensation. Eyes still firmly closed, Brenda wriggled back until she was flush against the unexpected source of heat. She hummed with pleasure as an arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer. She drifted back to sleep, fingers laced together.

* * *

_Brenda knelt bare-legged on the ground, sweat pooling in every conceivable place: her brow, her chest, the pits of her knees. The rich, loamy smell of the earth; the sun beating down overhead. It reminded her of childhood summers spent in her grandfather's orchard. _

_Around her, the gardens stretched in a three hundred and sixty degree panorama: a cavalcade of colour as far as the eye could see. A basket of bulbs sat to her right. Tulips. She dug her fingers into the warm soil, searching for the perfect place to plant. She knew instinctively that it wasn't the season or the climate, but she had to try. If they could grow anywhere it was here. _

"Brenda."

_Wiping her hands on the denim of her shorts, she looked over her shoulder, squinting in the harsh summer sun. The gardens were empty. _

"Brenda."

_She felt a familiar tug at the voice, gentle but insistent. She rose, painted toes burrowing into the soft soil. She raised a hand to shield her eyes as she searched for the source. _

"Chief!"

She sat bolt upright, her body responding to the commanding tenor before her brain had time to catch up. Rubbing her eyes, she was surprised (and slightly embarrassed) to find herself face to face with the woman apparently plaguing her dreams. For a moment she wasn't exactly sure she'd woken up at all.

Blinking blearily, she looked around the room in a state of confusion. She was in the hotel, that much was clear, but judging by the distinct lack of clothing strewn everywhere, this most definitely was not her room. Which meant it was Sharon's room. She looked down. Sharon's bed. What was she doing in Sharon's bed? Surely she'd remember if they'd -

"You fell asleep."

Oh. Well that explained the pantyhose. A fairly unexciting dinner in the restaurant downstairs had resulted in the decision to watch an in-service movie, and apparently more than a few glasses of wine, Brenda lamented, judging by the case of cottonmouth she'd woken with. Course it didn't explain why Sharon hadn't just woken her up and sent her on her merry way when it finished.

"What time is it?" she asked, blindly trying to smooth her hair, which if Sharon's bemused expression were anything to go by, was in a hideous state.

"After eight," Sharon replied, reaching over to smooth an errant curl. Their eyes met and Sharon dropped her hand. She rose quickly, crossing to the kitchenette and busying herself pouring coffee from the percolator. "You need to get moving if you still want to make that appointment."

Brenda grimaced. Hot stones sounded more like medieval torture than a spa treatment, but Sharon had been right about the mud bath, so who was she to argue? She felt more rested than she had in months. Not that she planned on admitting as much to her counterpart.

Sharon perched on the edge of the bed, passing on of the mugs off to Brenda. She hummed almost inaudibly as she raised her own mug to her lips, eyes drifting closed as she savored the first taste. Her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip and unconsciously Brenda mirrored the action.

"Your phone."

"Hmm?"

"Your phone," Sharon repeated, her voice tinged with amusement. "It's ringing."

Brenda's eyes widened when she realized she'd been patently oblivious to the obnoxious chirping. Stumbling and very nearly tripping over the eiderdown, Brenda leapt off the bed, knowing full well her cell was still safely tucked away in her shoulder bag on the far side of her own room. She managed to pick it up on the final ring.

"Deputy Chief Johnson?"

Before she had a chance to draw breath, Gabriel launched into a diatribe about some new case they'd caught late last night. Tao and Provenza could be heard above the din, chipping in intermittently. Brenda flopped back onto the mountain of pillows. So much for a weekend away.

"Chief?"

Sharon walked through from the adjoining room weekend bag in tow. Brenda smiled apologetically as she sat down in the overstuffed armchair, evidently aware of how this was likely to play out.

"Yes Detective, I'm still here. We – I can be back in LA in-" Sharon held up two fingers. "three hours." Brenda ignored the brunette's contrite expression. "Yes Detective, I'll see you then. All right, bye bye now."

"Three hours?" Sharon asked as Brenda tossed her phone back into the depths of her handbag.

"I don't know about you," Brenda replied, abandoning all sense of propriety in favour of ripping off those wretched stockings, "but I'm starving. If we're cuttin' this short, we're at least getting breakfast."

She caught the older woman's glare as she crossed to the bathroom; if she had to guess she'd say it was a level two, somewhere between pissed and amused. Well it wasn't like her team couldn't work a crime scene without her; they'd been doing it for months while she was off on disability!

Bathroom door propped open, she watched in the reflection of the vanity mirror as Sharon rose, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Brenda winced at the sound of the front door. Maybe it was closer to a three. With a cluck of her tongue, she reached for her toothbrush. She really hoped that waffle house they'd passed on the way up took Amex.

* * *

"I'm not, you know."

Eyes still closed in feigned disdain; Sharon couldn't help but take the bait.

"Not what?"

"Seein' him again. Dr Kendall."

"Oh." Oh indeed. "Well why not?"

"Why -?" Brenda shuffled back into an upright position. "First you complain that I am seeing him, and then you complain when I'm not? Make up your mind, Capt'n, which is it?"

Sharon slung her arms over the sides of the tub, hoisting herself up to something akin to sitting. Not that she'd admit it, but the slats in this ridiculous excuse for a bathtub were starting to irritate her lower lumbar. She had to wonder if it was all part of a ploy to get patrons to pay for massages… Okay now she definitely knew she'd been spending too much time with the blonde.

"I'm not going to pretend I think you should be seeing him –" Frankly she was this close to lodging a complaint about his professional conduct. Anonymously of course. "- but you should be seeing someone. I'm… glad you're seeing someone."

"You are."

Shouldn't she be?

"Shouldn't I be?"

Of course she was. And that awful swooping feeling in her stomach was a result of the tempeh salad she'd had for lunch and definitely not anything resembling pangs of jealousy.

Brenda huffed a little, attempting to blow a stray strand of hair out of her mask. "Well what about you?"

"What about me?"

"I'm sorry, are we in stereo?"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "I don't want to date the office shrink, Chief." Although she supposed it might entail a fairly hefty discount and she kind of missed those bi-weekly appointments the department had been forking out for… again, not the point.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Why aren't you seein' anyone?"

"So you just assume that I'm not."

"Well are you?" Sharon didn't reply. "Why not?"

"Because - I like my independence."

Well it wasn't a total lie.

"You should put yourself out there, Sharon." She hummed noncommittally. "I mean it. You deserve to be happy."

'I don't need a man to make me happy, Brenda Leigh," she said, not quite believing she'd given voice to the thought. For her part the blonde appeared to consider her response.

"I suppose you're right."

Sharon reached for her near-empty glass of water, taking the opportunity to study her friend over the rim as she sipped. "The cracks are beginning to show."

Brenda snapped back to reality. "What?"

"In your mask. It's cracking."

"Oh." She touched at her face. "How long do you think 'til we can get out of here?"


End file.
